DISCIPLESHIP: Small Group Bible Study

Discipleship and

Prayer

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20-21 KJV)

Lesson Three

Sharing Studying Praying Witnessing

Intro...
1. 2.

Welcome God's presence. Share the BEST and WORST thing that happened to you this week. If a need for prayer is expressed take time to pray for that individual and need on the spot.

Key text...

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20-21 KJV)

Scripture Passages...

1 Samuel 12:23; Daniel 9:3; Matthew 7:7; 14:13-23; 23:36; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15-16; 6:12-13; John 17:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:13-20.

Todays World...
Soren Kierkegaard

Consider the following quotes and what they mean to you: Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. A boy who rises at 4:30 to deliver papers is considered a gogetter, but to urge our young people to rise at 5:30 to pray is considered fanaticism. We must once again wear the harness of discipline. There is no other way.
Leonard Ravenhill

Our Daily Bread...

Read carefully Matthew 14:13-21.

We often marvel at the incredible display of power when we read how Jesus fed thousands of people from only five loaves and two fishes. However, what lessons on discipleship can we learn from the above account? First, Jesus wants us to understand that His power knows no boundaries, no matter how desperate our situation may be, He can produce solutions that are beyond our imagination. Second, He wants us to reflect on the fact that it was not He who went through the famished crowd giving out food, but rather His disciples. Thus, we learn that after we have spent time with Jesus, we are to share with others what we experience with Him. Distributing so much food among so many people must have taken quite a long time. As the disciples went around sharing the food, they would run out of it and have to return to Christ for more. Likewise, we must continually return to Jesus for spiritual nourishment in order for us to witness to others. Nothing can ever replace our time spent with Him, studying His Word, praying to Him, and listening to what He has to say to us in return. Prayerfully read Matthew 7:7, what assurance does Jesus give you? Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary, in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.
Ellen G.. White, Steps to Christ, p. 64.

Connecting...

Carefully read Daniel 9:3; 1 Samuel 12:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:1516; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; and, James 5:13-20.

Based on these passages and any others that come to mind, what is the connection between prayer and discipleship? Prayerfully read and analysis Mathew 14:22-23; 26:36; and Luke 6:12-13. What can we learn from Christ's example that we can practically apply to our lives? The work of discipleship includes interpersonal complexities that cannot be anticipated or handled in our own wisdom and strength. Multiple times in the gospel stories we find Jesus retreating to solitary prayer before or after a major ministry event. He would put physical distance between Himself and the multitudes, creating space and time to receive wisdom and strength from His Father. Consider the following: While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before the throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian whose heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No evil arts can destroy his peace. All the promises of Gods word, all the power of divine grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to secure his deliverance . . . Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. . . . Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Wellspring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor. . . . It is a wonderful thing that . . . unworthy, erring mortals possess the power of offering their requests to God. What higher power can man desire than thisto be linked with the

infinite God? Feeble, sinful man has the privilege of speaking to his Maker. We may utter words that reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. We may speak with Jesus as we walk by the way, and He says, I am at thy right hand. We may commune with God in our hearts; we may walk in companionship with Christ. When engaged in our daily labour, we may breathe out our hearts desire, inaudible to any human ear; but that word cannot die away into silence, nor can it be lost. Nothing can drown the souls desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the noise of machinery. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.
Ellen G.. White, Messages to Young People, pp. 249-250.

Can You Hear Me Now...?

We appear before God, present our petition, and depart. Next time we do the same. We keep God informed in regard to our status, tell Him of things that need attention, and having thus delivered our souls, we close the interview. This we repeat day after day. Is there nothing better?
M. L Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, p. 246.

What should we be praying for? Consider the following: It cannot be denied that prayers of petition are a legitimate form of prayer. We shall always need to ask God for the things we desire. But it is to be emphasized that prayers of petition are not to be the prevailing form of prayer. Prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and adoration must always have the preeminence. Submissiveness to the will of God, complete dedication to Him, and thorough' consecration would indicate the form prayers should take. When our prayers are changed from an effort to get God to do what we want into an intense desire to find out what God wants, our prayers will not habitually take the form of asking merely for things, and demanding that God forthwith answer our prayers in the

specific way we desire. It would indeed be better for most of us to cease asking for things for a while and concentrate our entire efforts on what God wants us to have or to be. When we find this out we are on sure ground. Then we can ask of God, confident that His will is to be done. The great problem confronting us is to find out God's will, and then search our hearts to make sure that we really want God's will to be ours. Someone has said that prayers are an effort on the part of the petitioner to have God change His mind. Many are making no effort to find out what God wants, although they are very, clear themselves on what they want. They are struggling with God. They are agonizing in prayer. They are demanding of God what they believe should be done. It does not occur to them that the first thing to find out is, Does God really want me to have the thing that I so much desire? Is it for my good? Is it God's will? Has the time come for it to be done? Is there something I must do first? Am I really willing to submit everything to God, so that if He does not give me what I desire, I will be satisfied and thank Him for what He does give; or am I really more intent on getting what I want than I am on ascertaining God's will? It may be well to enumerate some things that prayer is not. It is not a substitute for work. A Christian confronted with a hard problem has a right to ask God's help and to expect that He will respond. But this does not excuse him from hard, taxing labour. God will strengthen the intellect; He will invigorate the mind; but He will not accept prayer as a substitute for mental effort or give to those who are merely slothful. Such as are capable of learning the multiplication table and have the opportunity to do so, must riot shun the effort necessary to become proficient in numbers, trusting that God through prayer will do for them that which will make unnecessary any mental exertion. In most cases work and prayer go together. Neither is sufficient in itself.

Let it be emphasized that the aim of prayer is not to get God to do something we want. Some apply worldly methods and have a worldly philosophy in their approach to prayer. They have learned that as far as the world is concerned, to get anything they must go after it, and so they take for granted that to get anything out of God they must go after it. They act as if God were not willing to grant their petition without a great deal of coaxing, and seem to believe that by persistency and wheedling they can get out of God what He would not otherwise give them. They take the importunate widow (Luke 18:1-8) as their example, seeming not to realize that this parable is given to show what God is not. No one can get out of God what he desires merely by continually annoying Him. God is not like the unjust judge. He is a father, more willing to give good gifts to His children than they are to receive them. Wheedling, coaxing, cajoling, teasing, annoying mere persistency does not avail with God.
M. L Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, pp. 242-244.

The impression must not prevail, however, that there is no such thing as wrestling in prayer, or that we need only mention to God once and for all what we want and it will be forthcoming. Prayer is not quite so simple as that. There is need of agonizing, prevailing prayer. Prayer that goes to the heart of the subject and is, not satisfied till lives and things are changed. Jesus prayed all night; Jacob wrestled with the angel; Daniel sought the Lord with prayer and fasting; Paul besought the Lord again and again. We need not fewer prayers but more. And we need to learn to pray in faith. This is a vital point. Prayer is not monologue. It may be audible, or it may be the unspoken desire of the soul. In either case ideal prayer is communion. Some people seem to consider prayer as merely a means of informing God of certain things that need correction and of which He is apparently unaware. They believe that God is in danger of forgetting certain things, and their prayers take the form of reminding God of what He should do. Having called God's attention to the need as they see it, they feel that they have done their duty. They have said their prayers, and

with an Amen their conversation stops. It has been a monologue entirely. They hope that God will use judiciously the information which they have conveyed to Him, and that He will do something about the matters concerning which they have prayed. Such consider prayer a one-way communication, man speaking to God. Yet this is not the highest form of prayer. In true prayer God speaks to the soul as well as the soul to God. True friendship will not last long where one habitually does all the talking. In our prayers we often do this and expect God to do the listening. And yet, may it not be possible that God would like to communicate with us as well as we with Him? This He often does by bringing certain scriptures to our remembrance. Is it too much to believe that after we have offered an earnest prayer which we believe God in heaven has heard, He might wish to say a word to us? Is it possible that after we have said Amen, God is just ready to communicate with us, but we get up from our knees and do not give God a chance to speak? We hang up the receiver, as it were. We ring off. Does the true Christian forever speak to God and God have no message for him? It must be sinful to God to be shut out just at the moment when He is ready to communicate with us. It would seem that after this has happened several times, God can come to no other conclusion than that we are not really anxious to have communion with Him. We merely say our prayers, and when we are done, we walk away. Such prayers surely cannot be all that God means by communion. Let us repeat, prayer is communion. It is more than conversation; it is intimate fellowship. It is an exchange of views and ideas. It presupposes sympathetic understanding and confidence. It need not always be accompanied by words. Silence may be more eloquent than torrents of oratory. It is rather a kind of friendship grounded in quiet confidence and assurance, unaccompanied by spectacular demonstrations or outbursts.
M. L Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, pp. 244-246.

Time some time to discuss your thoughts.

Reflections...

Based on all of the above, how should prayer impact our relationship with God? What can you accomplish by praying? Take some time, to think about what you can do to make your prayer life more meaningful. Consider the following: The work of Christs disciples is to shine as lights, making manifest to the world the character of God. They are to catch the increasing rays of light from the word of God, and reflect them to men enshrouded in the darkness of misapprehension of God. The servants of Christ must rightly represent the character of God and Christ to men. Says the apostle, Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. {RH, March 5, 1889}

Recommended Reading...

Model prayers: Daniel 9:1-19; John 17; Ephesians 1:15-21; 3:1619; Philippians 1-9-11; and Colossians 1:9-14. The Privilege of Prayer, Steps to Christ, pp. 93-104, Ellen G. White. https://egwwritings.org/

Break into twos or threes and pray for one anothers needs, as well as for your friends and family...